COP26: Enough of promises, more of action and delivery

BY OLASUPO ABIDEEN

The long-awaited COP26, also known as the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is here taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. The conference gathers governments, businesses, local authorities, environmental activists, climate experts and civil society to discuss coordinated global climate action to tackle climate change.

As you probably know, COP26 is the biggest climate summit since the Paris Climate Agreement was made for countries to achieve in 2015. More than anything, I believe this comes at a critical and pressing period for the planet and its environment, as countries can beef up, negotiate their ambitions and review how they have delivered on carbon-cutting and fossil-free promises they’ve made for the climate economy.

By now, most countries are on board with the idea that greenhouse gas emissions need to reach net-zero by mid-century. But short-term details are still lacking, and greenwashing abounds.

According to a 2021 study by the World Bank, Nigeria is one of the countries in the world that ranks low as most unready to address and vulnerable to climate change crises. A research by Carbon Brief also states that about half of people living in Nigeria have been negatively affected by climate change, resulting in displacement, conflicts, flooding, drought, and food insecurity among others and as such, putting their lives and livelihoods at considerable risk.

Every day, their fear is what becomes their fate and what will happen when our environments are no longer inhabitable. People in rural communities, who are smallholder farmers and whose lives never remain the same again, continue to be the worst hit and are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate emergencies.

As we advance our preparedness for mitigation against and adaptation responses to impacts of climate change to power meaningful change, the COP26 means a whole lot to us. I believe many people, particularly the youths and our stakeholders, should be keen on the negotiations and deliberations of the conference to gear us towards building a climate-resilient economy and sustainable environment.

Our government has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030. According to Carbon Brief, the world is adjusting the way it produces and consumes energy to effectively tackle climate change. Businesses and economies are shifting away from their carbon and greenhouse emissions. And it all boils down to this; every country or industry can either be a part of the solution or the ongoing problem.

While I don’t expect COP26 to fix climate change, I believe this is our best and probably one of our last chances to make progress toward our climate goals and agreements. We cannot afford to delay any climate action further at this time and make promises. It’s time to demand action and drive accountability from the world leaders, governments and parties who have pledged commitments to countries affected by climate change to meet up and deliver.

We must start this season after the COP26 with a decade of actions and meeting targets. We must also be committed to creating inclusive policies and regulatory legal frameworks that fight issues connected to climate change, including mitigation, resilience, financing and adaptation in a fair and effective way to protect our planet and restore our ecosystem.

Young people around the world are standing up, getting involved and ready for change not only with collective climate actions for urgent change but with bold and clear statements.

As a sustainable development advocate and civil society leader, I will also be at the COP26 in Glasgow, UK where I’ll be representing young people in the Global South, who probably may not get to attend the conference, to amplify voices in important conversations, contribute to negotiations and hold leaders to account on their commitments with the work they in addressing climate change.

It is important to state that climate change should also concern everyone because the earlier we realize that the crisis is personal to us in effect and not some distant threat, the better for us. Hence, the discussion and decisions in and around the COP26 are key to both our present prosperity and sustainable future in Nigeria and Africa and as they will directly affect us and environmental affairs. Hence, we need everyone on board to join the cause. Enough of the talks; it’s time for action and delivery. We must not delay in taking action.

Olasupo Abideen is a Global Goals Youth panel member and the executive director, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative. He tweets at @opegoogle and is reachable via [email protected]